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By Roz Kohls
Staff Writer
State Rep. Dean Urdahl (R-Grove City) said Thursday he feels the 2008 Legislative Session was the best since he was first elected in 2002.
Urdahl was pleased with the success of legislation affecting both local residents and Minnesotans in general, he said in an interview from St. Paul about the end of the session.
Dassel will have financing for a new water tower, and Litchfield will have financing for a $6 million waster water treatment plant, so First District Association of Litchfield, a dairy cooperative, can expand, he said.
A new formula for Local Government Aid (LGA) will increase revenues for area cities. Howard Lake’s LGA will increase to $540,222 from $523,647. Cokato’s LGA will increase to $487,374 from $470,261. Dassel’s LGA will increase to $358,412 from $347,435, he said.
The new Greenleaf Recreational Area southwest of Darwin received $2.4 million in funding, Urdahl added.
Finally, the tax credit for dairy farmers to modernize and expand their operations, that Urdahl has been promoting for the past five years, became a grant program instead. The grant will use money from a $1 million fund. The fund is small, but it’s a start, he said.
In general, the 2008 Legislature also was successful for Minnesotans in general. The bonding bill, which was so important for job creation, was a major accomplishment, Urdahl said.
Legislators reduced state government spending overall, and balanced the budget at the same time. They addressed the deficit, and managed to find existing money for education and nursing homes, he said.
Legislators didn’t raise any income or sales taxes either. Cities with populations over 2,500 will have their property tax levies capped with a maximum 3.9 percent increase. The cap doesn’t apply to levies for police and fire protection, though, Urdahl said.
Roads and bridges will have more money, also.
Funds for phosphorous reduction, approved in last year’s legislative session, will now be available for Howard Lake, if it joins in with Annandale and Maple Lake’s new wastewater treatment center, he said.
Urdahl also had a few disappointments. There will still be inequities and disparities in how schools and nursing homes in rural areas are funded, compared to those in metro areas, he said.
In addition, Urdahl wishes legislators could have made more cuts in spending, rather than take a big chunk out of the budget reserve this year, he said.
Urdahl added he is concerned legislators will face a bigger deficit next year, and be forced to make hard cuts, unless the economy turns around.
Urdahl said he had two surprises this session. His best friend in the legislature, Bud Heidgerken (R-Freeport) decided to retire. Urdahl wasn’t expecting that, he said.
Also, whenever the subjects of security and illegal immigration came up, subjects that needed addressing, he said, the discussion ended or went nowhere.
Overall, the session ended much better than it did last year. The governor and legislators came together in ways that will be beneficial for Minnesotans, Urdahl said.
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